According to Asian tradition, the crane is a bird of good luck and long life, and further, if you fold one thousand origami cranes you’ll be granted a wish.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, is a photo of a great egret* equivalent to folding a thousand pieces of paper? I obviously can’t say for sure, but this fellow was a great photo subject on the first day of the new year, and if he wants to be the bearer of good luck, we’ll take all he can carry.
*I think this is a great egret; I’m open to correction from any true birders out there. Whatever he (she?) is, he’s a frequent visitor to our ponds during the winter. The ducks seem a bit indignant at his presence. I suspect the fish have somewhat stronger feelings, but I could be anthropomorphizing.
Eric, I love these pictures. So simple and yet so majestic. I love seeing these birds. You do a great job capturing them on film.
Perfection in all its glory! Reminds me of the picture on the cover of the book “Johnathan Livingston Seagull.”
Eric, I don’t know if it’s a great egret … but I DO know these are great shots of an egret! Thanks for sharing.
That bottom photo is breathtaking. It looks like something from National Geographic.
Eric-
Beautiful pics. As a frequent visitor to FL, I have to wonder what the heck is that bird doing here and not at my in-laws? 🙂 We have enjoyed it at the pond this week.
Geoff, FL expert, says it’s an egret or an albino heron. I am not a bird watcher but looked in a book and it doesn’t look like either has migration pattern in west Texas. I think I might call Burr. Thanks for sharing!
Cheers,
Hollen
Hollen, I’m guessing that he forgot to pay his cell bill and so the GPS in his ePhone (“egret Phone”) stopped working. 😉
I tried to match up the markings on the bird’s beak and around the eye with images I googled, and the Great Egret seemed to be the closest match. If you get a more definitive ID, let me know and I’ll update this article.